Apparatus for banding filamentary tow



Oct. 10, 1967 w, ASPY, JR 3,345,697

APPARATUS FOR BANDING FILAMEN'I'ARY TOW Filed July 27, 1964 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l W/LL/AM L. ASP), JR.

INVENTOR;

BY @MM A TTOR/i/EYS Oct. 10, 1967 I w. L. ASFY, JR 3,345,697

APPARATUS FOR BANDING FILAMENTARY TOW Filed July 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 PRIOR ART FIG. 4.

THIS, lNl/ENT/ON FIG. 5.

WILL/AM L. ASP),JR.

- INVENTOR.

BY QMM A T TORNEYS United States Patent ()1 3,345,697 APPARATUS FOR BANDING FILAMENTARY TOW William L. Aspy, In, Kingsport, Tenm, assignor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed July 27, 1964, Ser. No. 385,105 1 Claim. (CI. 1966) This invention relates to a wide-slot banding jet. More particularly, it concerns a tow banding jet so constructed as to permit use of air under a reduced pressure to accomplish banding.

US. Patent 2,737,688 to Jackson, discloses a box-like tow opening device slotted to permit passage of tow therethrough, said device having a series of openings along the channel through which the tow passes for passage of air under pressure directed from above and below against the tow. While highly satisfactory for banding filter tow, such a jet sometimes requires considerable air pressure to accomplish the desired results. Also, in the Jackson jet to get sufficiently small air openings it is necessary to put together three separate sections, each of which has had a half-opening fabricated therein such that when the three pieces are put together the halves meet to form a whole opening. Therefore, production of a substantially singlepiece integral jet which will operate at reduced air pressure represents a highly desirable result. After extended investigation I have found a banding jet, the body of which may be constructed in a single unit such that the air pressure used may be as low as about 1 p.s.i.g.

One object of my invention is to provide a substantially one-piece rectangular banding jet operable at reduced air pressures. Another object is to provide a tow opening device for increased uniformity in banding of tow and improved ease of construction and economy of operation. Further objects will appear hereinafter.

In its broader aspects my invention involves a rectangular banding jet of substantially one piece with a slot therein for passage of tow therethrough and a line of orifices either above or below, to the right or to the left of the tow passage portion, depending on the position in which the jet is operated, whereby air under pressure of as low about 1 p.s.i.g. may be directed through said orifices. The orifices may be as large as about 0.030 inch to band the tow passing through the jet. This enables operation from blowers rather than compressors. I have also found that by using a horn-like or fluted arrangement for directing the air into the jet, it may be distributed more evenly through the openings into the slot through which the tow passes such that increased uniformity and efliciency of banding results. Furthermore, my improved jet is constructed such that the orifices lead only from one direction into the slot or tow opening, thus eliminating the need for a second symmetrical half and further simplifying the structure.

Heretofore, when difliculties sometimes resulted through use of oppositely positioned orifices as small as 0.005 inch with banding air pressures of 3-5 p.s.i.g., concentrating the air at its entrance in a circular or pipe-like channel sometimes tended to prevent adequate distribution of equal amounts of air pressure through the series of orifices above and below the tow passage. As indicated above, I have now found that by increasing the size of the orifices used to around 0.030 inch and using a unidirectional orifice arrangement, I am able to employ air pressures as low as about 1 p.s.i.g. with highly efficient banding of the tow, particularly when a fluted entrance is used for the air or other treating fluid. By increasing the orifice size to as great as 0.028 to 0.032, I permit machining of the sections containing the orifices in one instead of three pieces.

3,345,697 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 Thus the slots may be machined in a single part. Also opposite halves of the circular orifices cannot get out of adjustment.

Although I do not wish to be bound by any particular theory as to why the increase in size of air slots to about 0.030 inch permits lowering of pressure from about 3 or more p.s.i.g. to l p.s.i.g. or less, it appears that opening the air slots lowers the required air pressure by removing resistance from the path of the air. This lowering of required air pressure is considerably advantageous whenever facilities limit deliverance of maximum air pressure. As explained above, it is also advantageous in that an integral substantially one-piece banding jet is thus permitted.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference will now be made to the drawing which forms a portion hereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tow opening device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the tow opening device of the present invention and taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1, and showing the relation of the parts; and

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken through the tow opening device and taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view detailing the structure of the-orifices of a prior art jet such as that of above-mentioned US Patent, 2,737,688.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view detailing the structure of the orifices of the jet of FIG. 1.

Similar reference numerals throughouts the various views indicate the same parts.

In the tow opening device of the present invention, the tow 10, usually pretreated for correct amount of lubricant and crimp, is drawn over a curved guide 11 and then into a thin rectangular slot 12 formed in a separating or opening device, generally indicated by the numeral 13. The latter is in the form of a hollow boxlike member formed with a top cover 14, a bottom portion 15, opposite end walls 16, a back 17 and a front 18. The slot 12 is formed by means of atop cover 14 and orifice containing section 19 of bottom portion 15 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The front wall 18 and back wall 17 are provided with apertures 21 and 22 respectively, which are equal in size to and in alignment with the slot 12, as best shown in FIG. 3. The space 24 between section 19 and remainder of bottom portion 15 provides a plenum chamber which is connected by means of fluted portion 25 and pipe 26 respectively to a suitable source, not shown, of a fluid such as gas under pressure, for example, an air compressor. A suitable takeup mechanism, not shown, such as ball warp or feed rolls of a staple machine controls the rate of speed that the tow 10' is drawn through the device 13 and slot 12 thereof. In order to open the tow 10 to separate the filaments thereof, the tow, while passing through slot 12, is subjected to a fluid pressure, such as compressed air or other suit-able gas.

To secure this result, section 19 is provided with a plurality of rectangular orifices 27 of the shape best shown in FIG. 3 and in more detailed form in FIG. 5 to contrast the one-piece structure of the present invention with the multiple structure of the prior art jet of US. Patent 2,737,688 as depicted in FIG. 4 hereof. The orifices 27 extend substantially the full width of the section 19 as best shown in FIG. 2. The tapered orifices 27 act as jets to direct the streams of air or other suitable gas under pressure against the moving tow 10 in slot 12 and in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of tow 10 in slots 12, as is deemed apparent from an inspection of FIG. 3. While expansion of the air in slot 12, or

upon issuing from slot 12 is inevitable, it is believed that it is the velocity of the air or gas streams impinging on the tow 10 in slot 12 which brings about the separation of the filaments. After the air streams issuing from the 4 a front, a thin slot extending substantially the full length and width of the interior of said jet and through which tow is moved, said slot being bound by said top cover, bottom portion, end walls, back and front, said end walls orifices 27 impinge perpendicularly on the tow 10 in slot Closing the opposite side edges of said slot, said back 12, the air then diverges in all directions in the plane in having formed therein a tow entrance aperture in registry which the tow is moving. Approximately half the air with said slot, said front having formed therein a tow exits or escapes through slot 22 in the ba k 11 17 a d exit aperture in registry with said slot, said apertures excountercurrent to the direction of movement of the tow en i g tween s id end W lls so as to have a width subthrough the slot 12. The end walls 16 close the ends 10 stantilally equal to that of Said Slot, Said jet Containing of the slot 12 and prevent the escape of air from the slot a fl d p m chamber, Said bottom portion forming the at these points, as is deemed apparent. upper boundary of said plenum chamber, said bottom por- For 80,000 denier tow the length of the orifices pref U011 having'fofmed thilre'in fluid openings of 3 Width t erably i 6 i h hil f 5 000 000 d i a l th of least 0.028 inch at the exit ends thereof into said plenum i h i desirable 15 chamber, whereby fluid under low pressure may be sup- The following examples are illustrative of my invention. Pl 531d tow 111 Bald SIOUH a Pnidirectional P p These examples are presented in tabular form to show the fhcular m thereby banding Said and means for decreased air pressure required with use of air slots of as lntroduclng fiuld to 531d Plenum Chamber comprising an large as b t Q0 i hi id h annular channel leading into the central portion of a The following examples show that lower air pressure is 20 flattened un P ss ge a p ed to introduce air to required when wider air slots are used. Good banding was said plenum chamber along substantially its entire width, obtained in all instances. said hollow box-like jet being constructed as an integral Air Tow Air Air Air Ex. Tow Slot Passage Flow, Pressure Pres- N0. Width Width s.c.f.m. in H2O sure,

(Inch) (Inch) (Inches) p.s.i.g.

3.3 D/F Y Section, .030 .090 57. 5 26% .95 1 40,000 TD. 3

d0 .005 .100 51 135 4. s {3.3 D/FY Section, .030 .090 48 20 .72 2 46,000 TD.

1 Standard cubic feet per minute. 2 Denier per filament. 3 Total denier.

entrances of a width of about 0.030 inch such that an air 40 pressure as low as about 1 p.s.i.g. or less may be used to efficiently band the tow. By using a horn-type arrangement for entrance of the treating fluid to the jet, I have also provided means for a more even distribution and a more highly uniform banded tow.

This invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove and as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A rectangular hollow box-like jet having a top cover, a bottom portion, opposite parallel end walls, a back and substantially one-piece unit, the said construction permitting reduced air pressure as low as about 1 p.s.i.g. for effective banding.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 984,195 2/1911 Cooper. 2,737,688 3/1956 Jackson 1966 3,095,632 7/1963 Smith 1965X 3,226,773 1/1966 Paliyenko Z 19-66 3,262,178 7/1966 Aspy et al 28l 3,286,307 11/1966 Watson 19 66 FOREIGN PATENTS 921,229 3/1963 Great Britain.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

